Interview with a PA-C

Here's an interview from a PA that works in the Emergency Department at my hospital.

1) Why did you choose the PA profession?

I was thinking about med school and optometry school at first. Decided optometry was going to be too boring. Chose PA school after speaking with counselor at UT. Didn't know anything about it at the time. It was more of a time/length of school factor for me.

2) Tell me about your preparation for application to a PA program.

Really just looking at the pre-req's ad concentrating on my grades, especially in my core classes (sciences)

3) What was your most challenging period as a PA-S?

Most challenging periods were the in-patient clinicals with call schedules. I think they have changed/limited the number of hours now, but at the time, I would be at the hospital for 30-40 hours straight on those days.

4) What areas of practice have you worked in as a PA-C?

Only emergency medicine so far

5) How do you think the role of a PA will change in the future?

I hope to think it will only get stronger. Our value seems to be our best asset.

6) What advice would you give an aspiring PA?

Concentrate on grades in school. It is pretty competitive, so don't slack on studying. Also, I think now they are wanting some type of experience/exposure, so volunteer, work or shadow when you can.

Things I did to Prepare: Mock Interviews

My background is in recruiting, so I'm very comfortable with interviews. Preparing for questions, understanding the tone and pace, and ways to positively conclude an interview are all very familiar territory for me. I have still GREATLY benefited from doing mock interviews with my peers. Questions I hadn't thought of come up, answers that sounded good in my head my not deliver as well in person, and just practicing sitting in front of someone all gave me a much sharper preparation than I would otherwise have.

Our mock interview sessions go like this: We both come up with questions, meet at an agreed time, and treat the situation like a real interview. I'll ask all my questions, making notes about the answers and anything else I want to address afterwards. Then we trade and I get asked questions. We try to cover at least four known questions (popular) and two unknown. At the end we go over what we could do better, anything that stood out as strange or out of place, and anything that was positive and helpful.

Mock interviews are great training. An actual interview adds a great deal of pressure, so its better to have run through the situation a few times in a safer scenario.

Interview with PA-C and TAPA President!

Lauren Dobbs is the President-elect for TAPA and a PA-C in Pediatrics. She was kind enough to let me interview her, so be sure to check out what she says below! (ed: she is also faculty at UNT HSC)

1) Why did you choose the PA profession?
I chose the PA profession for a variety of reasons but one thing that stood out was the ability to move from one specialty to the next. I like variety and knowing I did not have to pick an area of medicine and work in that area for my entire career was intriguing. As a PA you can work in surgery for 10 years, Pediatrics for 5 and oncology for another 5-10 if you wish. I think this may also prevent burn out that so many other professions endure.


2) Tell me about your preparation for application to a PA program
When I prepared for application to PA programs, I researched a variety of programs and found 8-10 programs that sounded like a good fit for me. I made sure I met all the qualifications for each program and applied using CASPA. I kept track of deadlines, secondary applications, interviews and such in a planner and tracked each program as I received acceptance and rejection letters and gradually narrowed my selection down to one.


3) What was your most challenging period as a PA-S?
The most challenging period as a physician assistant student for me was the end of the didactic year. This period was a mental challenge because as a student I was burned out on classroom time, enduring study fatigue and eager to get into the clinics and actually apply information I had learned. Now I look forward to conferences to get additional classroom time.


4) What has surprised you since you've become a PA-C?
I was surprised to find how many patients do not know about physician assistants. We are a relatively new profession and constant education on our field of medicine is necessary for the education of our patients, their families, and their friends as our profession grows.


5) What areas of practice have you worked in as a PA-C?
I have worked in general pediatrics thus far.


6) How did you first get involved with TAPA?
I first got involved with TAPA a month after I moved to the state of Texas. I had emailed a TAPA executive board member prior to conference discussing that I was new to the area and wanted to get involved. I attended the conference and was introduced to various leaders, committee chairs, and others. During this conference, I attended meetings and joined several committees. By the end of the year, I was chairing a committee and have worked with TAPA ever since.


7) How has participating in TAPA benefited you?
TAPA has been a great resource for me. It helps keep me current on the laws, allows me to network with other PAs, and provides CME in order for me to keep my license up to date.


8) How do you think the role of a PA will change in the future?
I think as health care shortages cause larger demand for services PAs will fill the areas with provider shortages and allow more patient access.


9) What advice would you give an aspiring PA?
Advise: You will never know it all. Keep learning every day. If you don't, you will never know enough.

Things I did to Prepare: Info Sessions

Many PA programs will host one or several information sessions on campus with members of the program. Usually they are a few hours long and give a brief overview of the program, explain the PA profession, and any some questions. These are highly valuable for several reasons. You get to find out about the program: professors, facilities, and some of its culture (what does it take pride in? what is its history?). They are a chance to ask questions about the application and interview process before hand. They are also a great opportunity to interact with some of the leaders in the program directly.

I have attended three different info sessions at three different schools. The first had just a brief overview and ended with a Q&A time. The second added onto that format a campus tour, meeting current students, and a chance to talk to the director of the program. The final had the same format as the first, but was led by the program director and the head of admissions who were available for questions. Being able to talk with and ask questions of those two helped me understand the school and application process immensely. I found out a different approach they preferred for the personal statement, and what changes they were hoping to make in teh school in the next few years.

Some schools location or schedule make it impossble to attend their sessions, but if you have a chance I would higly recommend going to any and all info sessions.

Things I did to Prepare: Research other roles in medicine

When I started out on this journey, I knew I wanted to help people in the context of health care, but I didn't have a specific role targeted. I started by talking with people I knew in health care about what they do and what they like about their role. Talking with mostly doctors and nurses I was able to connect with the desire for bedside/clinical/direct patient contact in my role. As I discovered more about PAs, I felt certain that I had found my direction. I didn't stop investigating though. As I started working in health care, I learned about a myriad of roles available in health care, what types of personalities fit those roles, and what parts of them I like and dislike. This has not only helped me understand the team I work with, but also understand why I want to be a PA instead of anything else. When talking to anyone in health care (PA or otherwise), I always try to ask 1) what got you into health care? 2) why did you choose the role you are in? 3) do you like your job? 4) what do you like/not like about it? From those 4 questions I have had a more realistic view of what everyone does day to day.

Things I did to Prepare: Join TAPA

The Texas Academy of Physician Assistants (TAPA) is the professional organization for PAs at the state level. It organizes conventions, promotes the profession through legislative efforts, and connects PAs to one another. For the PrePA, TAPA (like the AAPA) is a great way to network and research current events that you would otherwise miss. Joining TAPA as a PrePA was very reasonable so I joined as soon as I heard about it. Tim Loerke's blog has a few posts here and here that talk more about TAPA.

What benefits did I get from joining?

- Membership listed on my CASPA - a nice way to show your serious about being a PA is to invest in an association
- Newsletter - These not only have articles from PAs around Texas but also current events and legistlative initiatives
- Connections - Being a TAPA member has let me meet and connect with in person and online. Also, I get a huge discount to the convention where I can meet reps from different specialties and schools.
- Help profession - I am glad to be able to help the efforts of TAPA even before I'm a PA. I feel more vested in the profession and in the path I am pursuing.

I'd recommend joining your state organization and possibly AAPA as well. If you haven't, check them out at www.TAPA.org and www.AAPA.org

Interview with a PA-C

Here is an interview with TAPA board member Amanda Reynado. If you're not a PrePA member of TAPA, I highly recommend it.

1) Why did you choose the PA profession?
I wanted a profession that allowed me to practice medicine, learn in-depth science and its clinical implications, and work as a provider patients can relate to – all while still maintaining my personal life. The PA profession allows me to practice an autonomous career in medicine that involves diagnosing and treating, practice independently yet be part of a team, and have personal relationships with patients as their provider. My first interest in the becoming a PA was due to all of the PAs I had met being absolute cheerleaders for their career.

2) Tell me about your preparation for application to a PA program.
After college, I worked in research for 4 years as a lab manager. After I realized that a lifelong career in research was not for me, I began to research the requirements to get into PA school, went back to school at night to get the 3 classes I was missing, and also shadowed multiple PAs for over a year. After shadowing I was positive this career was for me. I then applied to PA school very early (submitted my application 5 days after it opened), and got in that year.

3) What was your most challenging period as a PA-S?
I was in the “Hurricane Class” at UTMB during Hurricane Ike. I had just started my first semester in PA school, was not 3 weeks into classes when the hurricane hit and destroyed our campus. We lost our cadaver lab, our building, and half my class lost everything they owned. We missed 5 weeks of school, and returned to a make-shift site with a crammed schedule. PA school is stressful and high-paced enough without a condensed schedule. We did not even have a library or coffee shop where we could study, but most of my class made it through the first semester. It was all uphill from there!

4) What has surprised you since you’ve become a PA-C
My first surprise was that they trusted my education and personal preparation to start working independently my first day. It was absolutely nerve-wracking but that’s how PAs learn – baptism by fire. Once I grasped my medical confidence, I had to discover and explain my role as a PA in a large emergency department. We still are a new career field to many people, therefore it is always necessary to provide information and set examples for who we are and what we can do.

5) What areas of practice have you worked in as a PA-C?
I am a new PA-C, and have only worked for 1 year. My only job has been in Emergency Medicine and this was my dream field while I was in school. I love my field!

6) How did you first get involved with TAPA?
One of the PAs I shadowed before school was coincidentally a TAPA officer. Once in school, I was elected to be my class TAPA representative during our 3 years. I served on multiple committees and helped get my program re-involved with TAPA during my office. Now I am the PR committee chair and sit on the general board of TAPA. I find every experience of representing PAs extremely rewarding.

7) How has participating in TAPA benefited you?
TAPA has helped me in multiple dimensions. Firstly, they donated multiple truck loads of goods from around the country during my program’s time of need after Hurricane Ike. Second, by sitting as a student board member, I realized exactly how much they represent and provide for PAs in the state. It also educated me on PA functionality, politics, and how to assert myself as a PA in a new work environment. Thirdly, I got my first job in a very competitive field from connections I made in TAPA.

8) How do you think the role of a PA will change in the future?
We are already seeing a large delegation of work to PAs in hospitals and highly populated areas. Physicians and administrators are realizing in every field that hiring a PA allows efficiency and betterment of the flow of care. Also, with the introduction of socialized medicine in our near future, this type of delegation and team work will only be broadened.

9) What advice would you give an aspiring PA?
Besides the obvious (study hard, good GPA, average GRE score) keep a well-rounded life. PA programs want to see that you get along with people in any scenario (family, work, volunteerism) because, after all, PAs serve as a midlevel provider and come into contact with everyone. Schools also want to see you have extracurricular activities that help you balance the stressors of school and our demanding career.
Shadow shadow shadow. You need to know what a PA does, how we function in the field, and it is a “requirement” on CASPA. If you don’t have shadow hours, you have less likelihood of getting an interview. Know why you want to be a PA and not a nurse or physician.
Use people who know you well for your letters of recommendation. I used a physician from my past with whom I worked, an old research mentor, and my boss at the time of application. All of them could truly speak of my personality, nature, and work ethic. I would not advise getting all college professors. We have all been to college, and we all know that one does not really experience a lot of one-on-one and close-knit relationships with professors.

Please follow TAPA on Facebook and Twitter by logging onto www.TAPA.org and clicking
their icons. You can also become a pre-PA member for cheap to prove to schools that
you really are committed. Contact me with questions at amandamcgreynado@gmail.com.